Ekeomah Atuonwu
London’s Horniman Museum on Sunday said that it would return dozens of artefacts looted by British soldiers in Nigeria, including 12 of the famed Benin Bronzes.
“Ownership of 72 objects, which were forcibly removed from Benin City during the British military incursion in February 1897, will be transferred to the Nigerian government. The collection includes 12 brass plaques, known publicly as Benin bronzes.“
“Other objects include a brass cockerel altar piece, ivory and brass ceremonial objects, brass bells, everyday items such as fans and baskets, and a key ‘to the king’s palace’,” the museum said in a statement.
Numerous Benin Bronzes from Nigeria, which date from the 16th to the 18th century, were stolen from the palace of the former Benin Kingdom and are now shown in museums all across the US and Europe.
Nigeria, which has been negotiating their return, intends to house the bronzes, some of the most renowned pieces of African art, in a museum that will be built in Benin City, in the southern Edo state.
Abba Tijani, the chairman of Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments, applauded the choice and expressed his excitement for a fruitful conversation on loan agreements and cooperation.
In addition to Britain, several European nations have requested the return of lost valuables, including France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany.
Experts estimate that 85 to 90 percent of African cultural artifacts were taken from the continent.
On July 1, Germany signed an agreement to begin sending back hundreds of Benin Bronzes to Nigeria, the biggest effort yet by a European country to return looted artworks.
In February, AEM reported the University of Aberdeen and Cambridge University’s Jesus College returned two Benin bronzes. Last year, the French government returned 26 artworks seized from Benin in 1892.
